More info on Westport's fire annexation issue

An appeal hearing of the county Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) Wednesday considered allowing the annexation of a third of Westport Volunteer Fire Department's area into Fort Bragg. The hearing is the latest action in a complicated process that has been ongoing for months.

Last week, this paper printed information provided in a letter from Westport Fire Department to Westport area residents that opposes the proposed annexation. Additional information emerged this week, following a call from a resident of the proposed annexation area.

Contacted by the newspaper, local insurance agent Rich Pyorre said Westport Fire's letter contains some misinformation about the residents' ability to shop around for a fire insurance policy.

Westport Fire's letter stated that because of their proximity to Fort Bragg Fire Department's new fire station on Little Valley Road, residents in the proposed annexation area will be able to get the same insurance policy with the same premium, whether or not the annexation goes through.

Pyorre explained that for insurance purposes, ratings range from 1 to 10, with a 10-rated area having no fire protection and requiring high insurance rates.

"Everything in Westport Fire Company, except those few houses in Westport proper with access to a fire hydrant is rated as a protection class 10," Pyorre said in a letter presented at the previous LAFCo meeting.

By phone, Pyorre said that while some felt the annexation area's proximity to the Little Valley Road station might equate to lower rates, many insurance companies will only lower rates for homeowners inside an official fire protection district. He added that Westport Fire is a "fire company," not a department with taxing ability. His letter said that if LAFCo should leave the proposed annexation area in Westport Fire's district, homeowners would "pay a much-increased premium each year on their fire insurance, if they can keep or obtain it at all."

Pyorre's letter said annexation into Fort Bragg's district would take the area's insurance rating from 10 to 4, thereby saving residents a great deal of money on their insurance premiums. Due to the paper's deadline, the decision and information from Wednesday's hearing will be published next week.